Page 52 of The Secret Sister

Eliza smiled at a charmingly handsome young man with a head full of tight golden curls.

‘More often known as Poodle,’ Haryo said with a genuine smile. ‘On account of his glorious hair.’

He bowed low and Eliza glanced uncertainly at Haryo.

‘All my dearest friends call me Poodle,’ he said, when he

stood up and gave her a yearning look that would not have

been lost on a poodle. ‘I’m hoping to count you as one of them?’

There was something incredibly endearing about him, so she smiled and nodded. ‘How nice to meet you… ah, Mr… Poodle.’

He bowed again, this time with a flourish. ‘A woman of extraordinary good taste and judgment.’

Everyone laughed, so Eliza laughed with them.

Poodle was distracted by another guest, and Haryo took her arm and they went to sit down together.

‘So, your presentation is imminent?’

Eliza glanced at her companion. ‘It is, Lady Harriet. I’m so glad to see you. I wanted to apologise for leaving Chiswick so quickly. I hope you received my letter.’

Haryo patted her hand. ‘I did, and no apology is needed.’ Her eyes sparkled. ‘Tell me, is your presentation imminent?’

Eliza hesitated. There was something in her face. A look of excitement, but in a particularly knowing way. A thought struck her rather forcibly. ‘It is. Did… did you have something to do with my family agreeing to me being presented?’

‘Me, darling? How on earth could I possibly have had anything to do with it?’

‘I don’t know, but something happened.’

Haryo’s eyes sparkled with mischief. ‘Well, I might have had a word with my dear Aunt Bessborough, Lady Elizabeth, Lady Caroline, dearest Poodle and several others.’ She shrugged. ‘We just assumed that you were having a come out in all our conversations, and… poof!’ She made a flicking gesture with her fingers. ‘Before we knew it, the whole of London knew you were here for your come out, and that already you had captured the Marquess of Hartington’s attention.’

Eliza was open-mouthed.

Haryo pushed it closed with a finger. ‘You’ll catch flies, my love.’

Quite suddenly, it all made sense. ‘But we were all at Chiswick. How…’

‘It started before we went. A word in the right ears and before one knows, a rumour is truth.’

Eliza sat, still trying to grasp the magnitude of it all. They had orchestrated the whole thing. Haryo and her family had done this so she could have a season.

‘Did we do the right thing?’ Haryo asked after a moment when she didn’t speak.

Eliza’s heart was so full it hurt. These beautiful, glittering people had gone out of their way to make sure that she had a come out. ‘So, you said nothing to Charles or my mother?’

‘Goodness me, no. I’m thinking that it worked well. Your family found themselves either having to plan your come out quickly, or face having to tell everyone you wouldn’t have a come out, unlike the rest of your family, and then having to come up with an explanation as to why not.’

‘That was almost word for word the conversation I had with Mama and Charles.’

‘Were they terribly upset?’ Haryo pulled a worried face.

Eliza nodded. ‘I’ve never seen Mama so angry. Charles and Mary were kind, but Mama…’ She shook her head. ‘She was angry with me. She thought I’d orchestrated the whole thing. She was furious. She still is.’

Haryo took hold of her hand. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, looking genuinely concerned this time. ‘I never meant to cause you problems.’

‘Mama doesn’t seem to see that I would want to marry and have a family of my own, but I do,’ she said, and a smile crept out. ‘And, thanks to you, I now have a chance.’